Google’s investment in Indian video content mobile applications comes in an environment where local-language content market is still underserved.
American multinational Google invested in two Indian short-video platforms, Glance and Daily Hunt on Tuesday. Both the platforms offer content in local languages. Google is writing both these checks from their Indian Digitization fund worth $10 billion.
Glance is part of Indian advertising company InMobi Group, which provides news, media content, and games on the otherwise empty lock screens of mobiles. Last year, InMobi acquired Roposo, a Gurgaon-based start-up that produces short-form videos across genres and in 10 languages. Google is also investing in Roposo.
In a statement, Google’s General Manager of Payments and Vice President Caesar Sengupta said: “Glance is a great example of innovation solving for mobile-first and mobile-only consumption, serving content across many of India’s local languages.”
Many Indians have trouble finding content to read or services they can use confidently.
Google also announced that it is investing in VerSe Innovation, the parent company of Daily Hunt. Daily Hunt claims to offer over 300 million users news and entertainment content in 14 Indian languages. VerSe Innovation also runs eponymous service and short-video platform Josh.
Josh and Roposo are among the various other apps that are trying to grasp the Indian audience and fill the void created after India banned TikTok.
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